Rotary mercury circuit-breaker.



PATBNTED 00T. z5, 1904.

A. F'. CHRISTMAS.

ROTARY MERCURY GIRCUIT BREAKER.

APPLICATION FILED DGA, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

N0 MODIIL.

FIG. 1

INVVENTOR.

WITN ESSIES PATENTED OCT. 25, 1904.

Aj P. CHRISTMAS.y ROTARY MERCURY CIRCUIT BRRAKRR.

APPLICATION FILED DBGA, 1903.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.'

N0 MODEL.

FIG. 8-

C 4 E Rax .a

lNVENToR. -SMR wlTNlf-:ssasV mb www v UNITED STATES Patented October 25, 1904.

rPATENT OEEICE.

.ADoLPH E. CHRISTMAS, oE PITTSBURG, rENNsYLvANIAASsIGNoR oE Two-TI-IIRDS To FRANK R. MCEEATTERS, or WILKINSBURG, RENN- SYLVANIA.

RoTARY MERCURY C'IRCUIT-BREAKER.

SPECIFICATION forrnng'part of Letters Patent No. 773,123, dated October 25, 1'904. Appiicaiouiedmmberi,190s. sentira. 18e-,335. momma.)

TOMU whom t may concern:

Be itknown that I, ADoLrII F.` CHRISTMAS,

a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Rotary Mercury Circuit-Breakers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

' My invention relates to circuit-interrupters; and its object is to provide a device of this character whereby an ordinary commercial current can be continuously broken and again made and which is so'constructed that no evil effects will result from thel arcs which are formed when the circuit is broken.

With many translating devices, such as reciprocating motors and the like, it is either necessary or desirable to break and make the 'the evil effects of the arcs which are formed when the circuit is interrupted areV overcome.

To this end the invention consists, generally stated, in breaking the circuit'between suitable metallic terminals, one at least of which is abody of mercury inclosed ina closed chamber, so that the arcs whichare necessarily formed lwill expend themselves in volatilizing the mercury; but as the latter is contained in a closed chamber the vapor will immediately condense and again join the main body of mercury.

The invention also comprises certain details of construction hereinafter specifically described a nd claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through one form of my circuit-interrupter. Fig. 2is atransverse section of the same. Fig. 3 is a side View, and Fig. 4 al section of a portion, of the interruptergshowing a modification. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section through still another modification. Fig. 6 is a face View of the insulating-partition of the same. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section through still another form or interrupter; and Fig. y8 is a side view of the interrupter, showing a diagram of the circuitsin which the same is used.

Preferablythe circuit-interrupter will be of the rotary type and has been so shown. '.lhis

' interrupter comprises a suitable body 1, rotatably mounted in bearings or standards 2, secured to an insulating-base 3. The body will be provided with either one or two chambers, as desired. In Figs. 1 and 2 the body is shown as provided with two chambers 4 and 5, these chambers being separated by means of a partition 6, of suitable insulating material. Each chamber is provided with metallic cylindrical walls, and bearing against these walls are brushes 7 and 8, which are connected in the circuit to be interrupted; In each chamber is a body of mercury 9, which, however, only partially iills the chamber, drainholes closed by means of screws 10 being provided to regulate the level of the-mercury. Suitable connections will be provided between the chambers 4 and 5, so as to electrically connect the two bodies of mercury at intervals in the rotation of the body. Various forms or' electrical connections Inay be provided, and in Figs. 1 and 2 a metallicl rod 12 is shown extending through the insulatingpartition 6, the ends thereof` projecting into or being eX- posed in the chambers4 and 5.

It will be obvious that in the rotation of the body the exposed ends of the rod 12 will dip at intervals into the mercury, thus electrically connecting theksame, and as these bodies of the circuit will be made when the rod 12 is immersed in or in contact with the bodies or' mercury and that as soon as said rod leaves the bodies of mercury the circuit will be interrupted. At the breaking of the circuit an arc will necessarily be formed; but this will merely expend itself` in vaporiZing a portion of the mercury; but as the latter is contained in a practically sealed chamber it will again condense and join the main body of mercury.

It will be obvious that the rapidity of making and breaking the circuit will depend upon the rapidity of rotating the body 1. If dcsired, more than a single rod 12 may be used, six being indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, thus resulting in making and breaking the circuit six times for each rotation of the body. If desired, the contacts projecting into the chambers 4 and 5 may be separate metallic pieces, such as the spiders 14,.(shown in Figs. 3 and 4,) these metallic pieces being united through the insulating-partition 6 by means of a suitable metallic connection, such' as the rivets 15. These metallic pieces 14 may have either a single terminal projection 12a or a plurality thereof, six projections being shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

In place of having a metallic connection between the chambers 4 and 5 the partition 6 may be perforated, as shown at 16, Figs. 5 and 6, thus permitting the bodies of mercury to come in direct contact to establish the circuit. Only one opening 16 is shown in the partition in Figs. 5 and 6; but it will be obvious that anynumber thereof within limits may be used. Instead of two chambers 4 and 5 a single chamber, as shown in Fig. 7, may be used. In this case the walls of the body are mostly of insulating material. One head, 17, however, is of metal and has bearing on its outer surface the brush 7, connected to the positive main. The other metallic head, 18,has bearing against it the negative brush 8. This head is insulated from the chamber by means of insulating material 19; but a portion or portions of said head or a metallic member or members connected to said head will be exposed in the chamber. In the drawings a pin 2O is shown projecting into the chamber and connected to the head 18, this pin during the rotation of the body dipping into or contacting with the mercury at intervals, and thus establishingl the circuit. It will be obvious by comparing Fig. 2 with Fig. 7 that if the pin 12 be extended and securedto one of the heads of the rotating body mercury in that chamber will not be necessary, thus forming, in effect, astructure identical with Fig. 7.

My circuit-interrupter may be rotated in any suitable manneresuch, for instance, as by means of a crank 22, connected to one of the trunnions of the body, or by means of a pulley V423 for receiving a belt coming from any suitable source of power, such as the countershaft in a shop or any other suitable source. Then used in an electric system, however, 1t 1s con- A venient to rotate the interrupter from a motor bridged across the circuit, and in Fig. 8 is shown a diagram illustrating this manner of rotating the intcrrupter. In this diagram 25 represents the generator, and 2G and 27 the mains leading to the translating device 28. The interruptcr is connected in this circuit by dividing one of the mains, such as the mai 11 26, and connecting the ends thereof tothe brushes 7 and 8. Bridged across the mains 26 and 27 between the interruptor and the generator is a motor 29, whose shaft is connected, by means of a belt 30, with the pulley 2t) of the interrupter, or which may be connected to the i11- terruptcr directly or by any suitable intermediate gearing.

It will be obvious that my interrupter can be used on circuits of any character ordescri ption and that by means thereof any circuit may be constantly broken and made and at any desired rapidity. The circuit will be closed only a short interval of time, thus preventing overheating of the translating device and adapting the interrupter to various kinds of work. The terminals cannot be detrimentally affected or destroyed by the arcs formed when breaking the circuit, the only effect of such arcs being to volatilize a pertion of the mercury; but as the latter is contained in a practically sealed chamber it will again be condensed, and therefore not lost.

Various modiiications may be made in the details of construction of the interruptor without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is- 1. A circuit-intcrrupter comprising a rotatable body provided with a chamber, mercury in said chamber but only partially filling the same, constant electrical connections to said mercury, means for rotating said body, a circuit-terminal exposed in said chamber and arranged to come into contact with the mercury at intervals in the rotation of the body, and means for rotating said body.

2. A,circuit-interrupter comprising a rota.- table body provided with a closed chamber, a. body of mercury in said chamber but only partially filling the same, a circuit-terminal of small section in its arcuate path and exposed in said chamber, and means for rotating said body to bring said circuit-terminal into momentary contact with the mercury.

3. A circuit-interrupter comprising a rotatable body provided with a chamber having the walls thereof in part of insulating material, a body of mercury in said chamber but only partially filling the same, an annular metallic face exposed in said chamber with which the mercury is in constant contact, electrical connections to said annular metallic face, another metallic contact portion cxposed only at a point or points in said chamber and arranged in the rotation of the body to come into contact with the mercury at intervals, electrical connections to said contact portion or portions, and means for rotating said body.

4. A circuit-interrupter comprising a reta- IOO llO

table body provided with two chambers, a body of mercury in each of said chambers but only partially filling the same, means providing electrical connections between the mercury bodies of said chambers at intervals in the rotation of the body, and circuit-terminals exposed in both of said chambers.

5. A circuit-interrupter comprising arotatable body provided with two chambers insulated from each other, a bodyof mercury in each chamber but only partially iilling the same, a metallic, connection having portions exposed in both chambers and arranged to contact with the mercury thereinon the rotation of the body, an annular metallic wall portion for each chamber with which the mercury is in constant contact, electrical connections to'said annular wall portions, and means for rotating said body. n

6. A circuit-interrupter comprising a rotatable body, atransverse partition of insulating material dividing the same into two chambers, a body of mercury in each chamber but only partially filling the same, means providing lelectrical connection between the mercury in the two bodies at intervals in the rotation of the body, and an annular circuit-terminal exposed in each chamber with which the mercury is in constantl contact. l

7 A circuit-interrupter comprising a rotatable body', a partition of insulating1 material dividing the same into two chambers, a body of mercury in each chamber but only partially filling the same, metallic connections extending through the partition and exposed in both chambers, an annular circuit-terminal exposed in each chamber with which the mercury is in constant contact, and means for rotating said body.

In testimony whereof I, the said ADoLrH F. CHRISTMAS, have hereunto set my hand.

l v ADOLPH RACHRISVTMAS.

Witnesses v F. W. WINTER, 

